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Minnesota's Gabe Kalscheur (from left), Jarvis Omersa and Daniel Oturu are a trio of happy Gophers as they leave the Kohl Center court after their 59-52 victory over Wisconsin on Thursday. Andy Manis, AP

Minnesota's Amir Coffey goes up for a shot next to the basket despite being double teamed by a pair of Badgers defenders in the first half. Coffey scored a game-high 21 points for the Golden Gophers. Mary Langenfeld, Mary Langenfeld-USA TODAY Sports

Wisconsin head coach Greg Gard reacts to a technical foul called against Brad Davison in the first half of the Badgers' game against Minnesota on Thursday night. Mary Langenfeld, Mary Langenfeld-USA TODAY Sports

MADISON – Minnesota football coach P.J. Fleck and his players came to Madison in November and took back Paul Bunyan’s Axe by dominating their border rivals.

Richard Pitino and the basketball Gophers didn’t secure a trophy Thursday night at the Kohl Center but they certainly humbled Greg Gard’s team en route to a 59-52 victory.

"Obviously, we didn’t put the ball in the basket," Gard said after the Badgers suffered through their worst shooting performance of the season. "Playing Captain Obvious there.

"We’ve got to be able to convert, whether it was threes that were good looks…got to the free-throw line but obviously we’ve got to convert and capitalize on those opportunities."

UW, which entered the game shooting 39.1 percent from three-point range and 49.1 percent overall, couldn’t put the ball in any of the Madison-area lakes in the first half.

The Badgers hit 2 of 14 three-pointers (14.3 percent) and 6 of 26 shots overall (23.1 percent) and trailed by 29-14 at the break.

"I thought we got some decent looks in the first half," said Gard, who noted UW averaged less than 0.50 points per possession in the opening half. "I thought we could have finished better around the rim. We did not draw contact when we had people out of position. We avoided it.

“But everything gets magnified when you’re not making shots – at that rate. There’s not making shots and then there’s what we had in the first half. That was at a whole other level."

UW kept chipping away at the deficit and eventually pulled within 49-47 with 2 minutes 4 seconds left. But then after a Minnesota basket, the Badgers fell apart with three consecutive turnovers – two by D'Mitrik Trice and one by Brad Davison.

The Badgers (10-4, 2-1 Big Ten) suffered their second consecutive loss and dropped out of a tie for first place in the league.

UW had defeated Minnesota seven consecutive times at the Kohl Center and eight overall. Minnesota (12-2, 2-1) won at the Kohl Center for the first time since Jan. 15, 2009.

"To build a lead like we did – we thought they’d come back in their building," Minnesota coach Richard Pitino said. "(But) to just make the toughness plays at the end of the game to find a way to get that win, that is what this league is all about."

Ethan Happ who hit just 9 of 23 shots in the loss to Western Kentucky, hit 8 of 13 shots Thursday and led UW with 17 points and eight rebounds. He sparked UW early in the second half but made just 1 of 7 free throws.

Minnesota intentionally fouled Happ twice in the last 2:41, with UW in the double-bonus.

"We talked about sending him to the free-throw line and find a way to get the rebound," Pitino said.

Happ, who is shooting 47.5 percent from the free-throw line, went 0 for 4 during that stretch and appeared disconsolate afterward.

Asked if the only way he could defeat the strategy the Gophers employed late was to hit the free throws, Happ said: "It's as simple as that."

UW finished 7 of 17 from the line, all in the second half.

Trice, limited to 10 points or fewer in UW’s three losses and just 2 of 10 from three-point range in the previous two games, struggled in all areas Thursday. He made 2 of 7 three-pointers and 3 of 10 shots overall and finished with almost as many turnovers (four) as points (eight).

"When you’re in that position you can’t have those type of decisions and empty possessions," Gard said.

Nate Reuvers was the only other UW player in double-figure points. Reuvers contributed 12 points and five rebounds.

Coming off a 6-for-21 performance from three-point range, UW hit just 5 of 22 attempts (22.7 percent) against the Gophers.

Brad Davison, UW’s best player at Western Kentucky, had just four points and three fouls.

Junior guard Amir Coffey sparked Minnesota’s big first half by scoring 15 of his game-high 21 points. His floater in the lane gave the Gophers a 51-47 lead with 1:42 left in the game and stalled UW's momentum.

Senior guard Dupree McBrayer scored 13 of his 14 points in the second half. He scored back-to-back baskets after UW turnovers to help Minnesota build its lead back to 55-47 with a minute left.

"Amir was terrific the whole game," Pitino said. "I keep telling him: 'Guys have to talk about you as one of the better players in this league.

"I thought Dupree for the last couple of minutes made a lot of really big plays."

Senior forward Jordan Murphy entered the night with nine double-doubles this season and a program-record 52 overall.

He scored only points but grabbed 11 rebounds before fouling out with 3:49 left and the Gophers leading, 49-43.

Guard Brock Stull, a grad transfer from UW-Milwaukee, hit two huge three-pointers in the second half to help the Gophers push their lead back to 12 points.

The Gophers entered the night shooting just 30.6 percent from three-point range, the worst mark in the Big Ten. They hit 6 of 14 three-pointers (42.9 percent) Thursday.

UW played its worst half of the season, particularly on offense, in the first 20 minutes, and fell behind by 15 points after leading by four early.